Galion Meadows: Oxygen Care Failures Cited by Inspectors - OH
Inspectors who visited on May 17, 2026 found no date marked on the tubing. They looked at the filter themselves. It was covered in dust.
The resident, identified in inspection records only as Resident 29, was admitted to the facility in September 2024. His diagnoses included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe protein-calorie malnutrition, chronic atrial fibrillation, and combined systolic and diastolic heart failure. He experienced shortness of breath with exertion, at rest, and while lying flat. A physician had ordered oxygen at two liters per nasal cannula continuously, every shift, with tubing and setup to be changed weekly every Sunday.
He told inspectors the tubing had not been changed in over a year. He thought it had been even longer.
The resident's care plan, last revised in April 2025, listed oxygen as ordered by a physician among its interventions. A humidifier bottle was not connected to his oxygen supply. He said the dryness was causing nosebleeds.
When inspectors spoke with a licensed practical nurse at 1:33 that afternoon, the nurse said humidifier bottles are only used when oxygen is continuous. The nurse then confirmed the resident's oxygen was, in fact, ordered as continuous.
The Director of Nursing, interviewed two days later, said all residents on continuous oxygen should have humidifier bottles. The resident had none.
What made the situation harder to dismiss was the roommate. Resident 42, interviewed separately at 1:43 p.m. on May 17, confirmed everything Resident 29 had said, including the dusty filter and the missing humidifier, and confirmed that these concerns had been raised with facility staff.
Staff had been told. The tubing still hadn't been changed. The filter was still caked with dust. The humidifier bottle was still absent.
Resident 29 had intact cognition, according to a mental status assessment in his record. He knew what was happening to him and had said so. His score on the cognitive assessment was a 15 out of 15, the highest possible, indicating no impairment. He was not confused about the smell coming from the filter, or the nosebleeds, or how long it had been since anyone changed the tubing running oxygen into his nose around the clock.
The inspection covered two residents reviewed for respiratory care. The failures applied to one of them.
Galion Meadows had 55 residents at the time of the inspection. The deficiency was cited at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm. Federal inspectors completed the survey on May 26, 2026.
The facility's own oxygen administration policy, dated September 2021, acknowledged that bacterial contamination can occur with certain humidifiers and nebulizers, a recognition that the equipment requires attention and maintenance. Whether anyone applied that awareness to the concentrator sitting in Resident 29's room, its filter fuzzy with dust and its tubing undated, is not reflected in the inspection record.
What is reflected: a man with failing lungs and a failing heart, breathing continuously through equipment no one had maintained, telling inspectors he could smell something growing in the air being pushed into his body, and his roommate nodding along because he had watched it happen too.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Galion Meadows Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation from 2026-05-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: August 15, 2026 · Our methodology
Galion Meadows Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in GALION, OH was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 26, 2026.
Inspectors who visited on May 17, 2026 found no date marked on the tubing.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.